


A Birthday To Remember

by Sunwolfy



Category: All in the Family (TV)
Genre: F/M, Flashbacks, Married Sex, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-17 01:14:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9297695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunwolfy/pseuds/Sunwolfy
Summary: After Edith's 50th birthday party disaster, she is no longer quite the same.  Archie is determined to do whatever it takes to make Edith's 51st birthday a wonderful memorable experience, even if he has to do something he's never done before.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The word rape is mentioned here but only in the context of the episode of "Edith's 50th Birthday" of "All In The Family".   
> I did my best to respect the era in which the tv show takes place. Couples didn't usually have full discussions of serious matters so this story is written more along the lines of a narration rather than as a dialogue between the characters. I did my best to imagine what these characters might be capable of under these circumstances since they were never addressed in any of the original episodes. I did take some liberties with their personalities but I hope I stayed relatively true to them.  
> I hope you enjoy reading it.

**A Birthday To Remember**

Archie Bunker sat in his favourite chair, his head in his hands. He was nervous as hell. 

Edith’s 50th birthday had been a complete disaster. What should have been the greatest birthday she’d ever had was ruined by a sleazy punk who had attempted to rape her. She had managed to get away and even gave the testimony that put him in jail, but in the end, Edith was a changed woman. Archie initially believed that she had put the whole event behind her as the year rolled on, but she was different. Better, but different. Unbeknownst to him, she was getting counselling paid for by Mike and Gloria who insisted that she see a professional to talk about what happened. Archie would never pay for such visits, since he viewed all such “shrinks” as “quacks” and a complete waste of time and money. The counselling sessions did help with some things, and over time the nightmares started going away. How she interacted with Archie in an intimate sense, however, was different than before. He didn’t notice it immediately, but over the course of that 50th year, he did notice that she was lacking her usual… enthusiasm. She had always been an incredible lover; passionate, caring, and at times, seemingly insatiable. Her calm and timid demeanour hid behind it a lioness when it came to bedroom antics. She always gave herself to him, willingly and wantonly, without coercion or pressure. She really was the perfect wife. How quickly all that came to a sudden halt when some dirty scumbag pretending to be a cop tricked her into letting him into the house, then proceeded to try and have his way with her. Even though no physical harm was done, Edith’s bedroom personality changed overnight. Her timid nature found its way into the bedroom and Archie was made to walk on eggshells around her lest she’d break down in tears as the dark memories would come flooding back. She was still able to kiss him, but it lacked the usual fire. Even the little rapid, bird-like pecks she used to ambush him with were now few and far between. It used to annoy him a little bit, now he found himself wishing for that ambush again.

At first, he began to think that maybe he was the problem, that she was no longer attracted to him. He was so distraught, he sought the help of his daughter, Gloria, and (reluctantly) Mike. She was helpful in explaining what her mother was feeling and this time, he was actually listening. Gloria handed her father a few books to read with some helpful advice and tips, doubting he would read them, but he actually did. The thought of his lovely wife suffering so badly mattered more than his discomfort over the whole thing.   
Thanks to those books and the wise words of his daughter (and to Mike, although Archie won’t admit it), he came up with something that he hoped would help Edith get back to feeling more like her old self again. It was different, breaking new ground, and trying something he never tried before. He was nervous, incredibly nervous, and maybe even a little scared; scared about how she’ll react to him. If it goes wrong, or she reacts negatively to it, all will be lost forever. _Git ahold o’ yerself! Edith’s been doin’ dis since we was married… and mebbe even a lil’ before dat. Da least you can do is pay it back. She needs it._  
Archie sighed deeply in his hands. He’d feel more at ease sitting on a live mine in WW2 than having to try to fix this. Losing his life would hurt far less than losing his wife. So Archie waited until Edith would be back with the week’s groceries.

Edith was finishing up at the market and was making her way home. It was her 51st birthday, but she already told Archie, Mike, and Gloria that she didn’t want a party or any presents. The horrors of her 50th birthday still haunted her. The nightmares were no longer a nightly occurrence, but they had started up again somewhat as her birthday approached. The thought of a party was causing her anxiety and her hands would start shaking a bit. A few beads of cold sweat dripped from her forehead. She stopped, looked at the front door, and took a deep breath. The criminal was no longer here and would never darken her doorstep again, yet his shadow seemed to linger. She gave her head a quick little shake, as though trying to shake the thoughts from her mind, and walked into the house with the groceries. Archie was there to greet her.  
“Hi, Edith. Welcome home.” “Hi, Archie. You’re back early.” She walked right past him and into the kitchen. Archie took another deep breath. _Ok, here we go._  
Edith was in the process of putting the groceries away when Archie met up with her in the kitchen. She stood at the counter sorting the canned goods. Archie saw the opportunity he was waiting for. He walked up behind her and gently put his arms around her. She jumped a little. Archie was not one for surprise hugs. “Oh! Archie. You surprised me.” “You know, Edith. I’ve been doin’ a lot of thinkin’ lately. It makes my head hurt some. But I t’ought about it and I realized that I just don’t hug you enough.” “Oh. Alright.” Edith said, a little confused.   
They just stood there a short while, Edith letting Archie hold her. It felt nice, really nice. As he felt her body start to loosen up from the tenseness that had trapped it, he leaned his head to rest it on her shoulder, his nose barely an inch from her neck. Her eyes widened slightly at the sensation of his breath on her neck. _This is different_ she thought _but it’s nice._ Archie, emboldened by the fact that Edith so far had responded well to his actions, decided to take it a little further. He brushed his lips against her neck and kissed her very lightly, a very slight brush. She gasped a little, both surprised by the action and yes, enjoying it. “I love you, Edith Bunker. More than anythin’.” he whispered against her neck, then pressed his open mouth against it. The sudden heat, moisture, and tenderness caused her gasp again, a little louder this time, and was followed by a soft moan as Edith tilted her head in the opposite direction to give Archie better access. He held her a little tighter, and she ran her hands along his arms. This was not something Archie usually does. This kind of tenderness was not something she’d seen in his repertoire before but decided it could be something she could easily get used to. His heavy breathing against her neck sent a small shiver down her spine, a little tingle of enjoyment. For the first time in a year, she was not thinking about the man who tried to harm her. She was in the moment, enjoying the attentions of her husband. Archie made her feel protected, made her feel safe. As he continued kissing her neck, she began to feel something familiar, a deep desire that was buried since the incident was rising up again, like a phoenix from its ashes. She took his hand with hers and placed it on her clothed breast. Archie groaned below her ear and began fondling it, gently squeezing. Her hand never left his. She moaned more audibly now and her breathing quickened. He desperately wanted to press himself further into her but feared frightening her. This was all about her this time. It was her 51st birthday and damn it, he’d make sure she would get whatever she wanted. His gift to her: letting her take complete control over this, letting her regain the control she felt she lost when another man tried to take it from her. Archie was not used to being the partner that followed rather than led but this really mattered to him and to her. Truth be told, he kind of liked her being in control. She took his other hand and placed it on her other breast, then slide her hands down, reaching back to place them on his hips while leaning her head backwards on his shoulder. He wasn’t sure but he believed that she was pressing her backside into his crotch. This was very bold of Edith. He’d never known her to be so seductive in any place other than the bedroom. This meant that she missed this with him too. She was as lonely as he was, despite the fact that they still shared a bed the whole time. She moaned again, grinding against him as he continued fondling her. _Oh dear God! She’s killin’ me here!_ he mused.   
Edith let out one last groan before stopping everything that was going on, and turning around to face Archie. She looked at him square in the eye, the multitude of emotions dancing around in hers was immediately apparent to him. She was happy, sad, scared, bold, hungry, desperate, powerful; a series of conflicting, tangled emotions trying hard to get themselves sorted out. It was a sobering sight. For the first time in a year, he finally caught a glimpse of the Edith he thought he’d never see again. He stood there, stunned, unable to do anything. He wanted to drop to his knees and hug her, but his body wasn’t listening to him. She had figuratively cast a very powerful spell on him and he would obey whatever command she gave him. He was hers. After what seemed like an eternity, Edith closed the gap between them, threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. Closing her eyes, she coaxed his mouth open and their tongues met. Archie couldn’t help but let out a deep moan muffled by Edith’s mouth on his, closing his own eyes to enhance the sensation. Reflexively, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her firmly against him. A single tear escaped from the corner of her eye, trickled down her flushed cheek, dropping onto her dress and disappearing into the fabric. The pain, the fear, the hopelessness, and every other negative emotion associated with last year’s incident left with that tear. Now, there was hope, love, happiness, and trust that surfaced.   
Edith broke the kiss, their lips still very close together. Both breathing very heavily, she dropped her hands to Archie’s and taking hold of them, led him upstairs. His head was swimming. He was so overcome with love and passion that he almost couldn’t remember his own name. Climbing up the stairs with Edith in the lead would have been an impossible task if it hadn’t been for the fact that they’ve both climbed up these stairs many times over the years. 

When they arrived in the bedroom, Archie closed the door and locked it. The moment he turned back from the door, Edith was on him, pinning him up against it. She wasted no time claiming his mouth with hers. He was quick in learning how to take cues from her. For a time, their hands were all over each other, feeling every inch of surface their bodies had to offer. Edith’s hands eventually made their way to Archie’s shirt buttons, unbuttoning them one by one without breaking their passionate kiss. Despite his drug-like euphoria, a thought still bothered him. Would Edith let him unzip her dress? It might still be a trigger for her and he would be incredibly saddened if that killed the mood for them both. Edith sensed his hesitation and manoeuvered his arms in such a way that he would be in reach of her zipper. That was the only coaxing he needed to go ahead and unzip her dress. His hands quickly found their way to the now exposed skin and explored as much of it as they could. Her groans grew louder, more urgent, almost pleading. He managed to unhook her bra pretty deftly as well. She put her hands under his shirt and pushed the fabric off of his shoulders. He did the same with her dress. Both pieces of clothing hit the floor soundlessly. The only sounds were of heavy breathing and various moans and groans coming from both partners. Archie could feel Edith getting to work on his belt, unbuckling it, then unzipping his pants and letting the belt’s weight carry it to the floor with a thud. Stepping out of their respective clothing, she led him to the bed, and sat on the end of it. He knelt before her, never breaking their kiss and now fondled her exposed breasts with his large hands. She swallowed hard and ran her hands along his shoulders, pulling him up on top of her as she laid on the bed. They interrupted the kiss for now as they both required more air. He knew she wanted to get to the final act but he felt she deserved even more than that. He removed his hands from her breasts, replacing them with his mouth instead. His hands travelled down to the waistband of her panties and pantyhose, pulling them down as they went without ripping them. She barely noticed what he was up to as his tongue was working its magic on her sensitive nipples. She moaned and squirmed as her body reacted to the pleasure it was receiving. _Time to move da action downstairs._ He trailed light kisses all the way down her body to where her legs met. When he used his large hands to separate her thighs, her eyes shot open. She looked down and was shocked to see where he was. “Archie,” she said breathlessly “what are you goin’ down there for?” “Do youse trust me, Edith?” he asked, hopeful. “Well, yeah.” she replied, a little puzzled. He grinned. “Good.”   
Before she could say another word, his head vanished between her legs. “Archie, what are you… OH MY GOODNESS!” she shouted after releasing the breath that had caught in her throat. The unexpected warmth and probing of a soft tongue against the delicate folds of her most intimate place had caught her completely off-guard. Her head fell back onto the bed as the cries of “OH, ARCHIE!!” were filling the previously quiet room. Archie had a good hold of Edith’s legs to keep her in place while he pleasured her and to avoid being accidentally kicked by a woman thrashing around in pure ecstasy. Her inner muscles tightened and their subsequent release provided her with a wave of intense pleasure that coursed through her entire body, from head to toe. He delighted in tasting the sweetness she provided him and wondered why on earth he had never done this with her before. Never in their entire marriage had he ever heard her scream in such ecstasy as this, not even during their younger years. It could be loud enough for the neighbours to hear. Part of him kind of wished that. Edith gripped the bedsheets and cover in each hand, as though trying to hold on for dear life while riding wave upon wave of seemingly endless pleasure. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Archie stopped to catch his breath. Edith was at last able to catch hers as well and allow her body to relax. They were both covered in sweat, flushed, and exhaustion was within reach. He climbed onto the bed, pulled off his socks and underwear and came to rest on top of her, and part of him where his head had just been moments ago. He stayed there, just looking at her for now. She put her arms around him and smiled so warmly at him that he almost felt himself tearing up. There it was, that smile that he hadn’t seen in over a year. “You’re so beautiful, Edith.” he said, trying to keep his voice steady “I’m so happy to see youse happy again.” “You too, Archie.” She closed her eyes and kissed him deeply again. Putting her legs up and wrapping them around him as best she could was the last cue she gave. He drew back a little and pushed himself deep inside her. She cried out again but his mouth muffled the sound. She was hot and wet from the work he put in earlier and he himself was rock-hard from the activities as well. He kept going, encouraged by the pleasurable noises she was making. Edith’s orgasms continued until Archie could no longer hold his back. The warmth and wetness of her, how tightly she squeezed him when she climaxed multiple times was finally too much for him to bear. He separated his lips from hers and cried out “OH, EDITH!!!” as his own orgasm overtook him. She gasped as she felt his warm juices leave him and enter her. He collapsed on top of her, completely spent. There they stayed for a while, recuperating from their Olympic-level activities. Once he found the energy, he rolled off of her and curled up beside her on the bed. He looked over at her and played with the damp curls that had plastered themselves to her forehead. “Happy Birthday, Edith.” he said with a warm smile. She smiled back, the largest smile he’d seen in a long time. She said nothing but snuggled into him and almost instantly dozed off, a happy grin on her face. He settled in for a nap as well. The groceries can be taken care of later. With the nightmare truly behind them now, Archie and Edith can look forward to a brighter future together.


End file.
